WATCH: Congressman thrashes ABC anchor for focusing on ‘migrants eating pets’ in Ohio

Republican Minnesota Rep. and Majority Whip Tom Emmer clashed with ABC News host Martha Raddatz on Sunday after he called out corporate media for attempting to “distract” voters from their top concerns when asked about Haitian immigrants in Ohio.

Attention on Springfield, Ohio surged due to concerns Trump raised during his first presidential debate against Vice President Kamala Harris about local residents’ pets allegedly being eaten. During an appearance on ABC’s “This Week,” Emmer pushed back against Raddatz after she questioned whether Vance should “finally make it clear” that the claim about Haitian migrants eating pets was “not true” during his debate against Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday.

“It’s such a distraction,” Emmer said. “The people in the mainstream media want to put up these shiny objects to distract people from what they see happen every day. The economy is not working for everybody, the border is wide open – ”

“Congressman, Vance and Trump have talked about this. Vance and Trump have talked about this issue. They brought it up,” Raddatz jumped in.

Emmer then attempted to say that the host needed to “focus on the issues,” leading to a moment where the two spoke over each other. The GOP representative continued to argue that a second Trump administration would not only help the economy but also secure the border, and questioned why Harris does not receive pushback on her policies.

WATCH:

“I think you gotta focus on the issues and the issues are very clear. Economy works under Donald Trump, it doesn’t work under Kamala Harris. The border is sealed under Donald Trump and crime is under control. The border is wide open and Kamala Harris is going into Minnesota trying to bail out rioters and people who are attacking policemen with a bail fund,” Emmer said.

“It just – the list goes on and on. It’ll be a very clear contrast between J.D. Vance and Donald Trump’s agenda versus what Kamala Harris is talking about,” Emmer continued. “I don’t know why you guys don’t ask her about her price controls – I mean she’s been way to the left.”

The small Ohio town has struggled over the last year as an influx of roughly 20,000 Haitian immigrants has caused an increase in traffic accidents and skyrocketing housing prices. While city officials and Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine have denied the allegations that the migrants are eating pets, some local residents have pushed back.

A police phone call obtained by The Federalist revealed a Springfield, Ohio resident calling authorities on Aug. 26 to report a group of Haitian migrants carrying four geese throughout the town.

“I’m sitting here, I’m riding on the trail, I’m going to my orientation for my job today, and I see a group of Haitian people, there was about four of ’em, they all had geese in their hand,” the resident said.

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].

SUPPORT TRUTHFUL JOURNALISM. MAKE A DONATION TO THE NONPROFIT WND NEWS CENTER. THANK YOU!